


Puppies Crave Attention

by LysanderandHermia



Series: Pet!Verse [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Conditioning, Dehumanization, Dom/sub, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feels, Jealousy, M/M, Multi, People as Pets, Situational Humiliation, d/s lifestyles, fuck how do i tag, sorta - Freeform, sorta?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-28
Updated: 2013-06-28
Packaged: 2017-12-16 12:06:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/861836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LysanderandHermia/pseuds/LysanderandHermia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"No, don't bring Dmitri into this," Jim snapped, releasing Sebastian finally, and stepping away to pull off his coat, irritated. "It doesn't matter what Demmi thought, it's still your fault. You decided that was alright. And you know what happens to pets that don't remember the rules, don't you?" Jim stared at him for a long moment, before turning his back on him, dismissive, and brought his attention to Dmitri, instead, who perked up a bit, rising up on his knees to circle his arms around Jim's waist and hug him, Jim's fingers in his hair again. Sebastian stared on, helpless and... and angry. He hated being ignored, and Jim knew it too.</p><p>"They have to live with the consequences, don't they, love?" He asked Dmitri, who nodded, and Jim stepped away, gesturing Dmitri to follow him into the living room.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Puppies Crave Attention

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poetofthefall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetofthefall/gifts).



> For my moirail.

James Moriarty didn't have friends. But he did have pets. Two, beautifully kept, wonderful pets that kept him warm at night and took care of him when he came home, in exchange for what Jim gave them.

Sebastian had been his first, of course. He'd been a brilliant sniper, a tremendous asset to his business, but after a while, Jim wanted him more and more to himself. So he took him. It happened slowly, over time; Sebastian slowly lost his want and need to make decisions for himself; slowly, he allowed Jim to become the central part of his thoughts, dictating his actions and reactions. 

Dmitri, his lifelong best friend, of course, only took a matter of time to pull under his wing as well - he was far more gullible and malleable than Sebastian was.

And so it came to be, Sebastian and Dmitri kneeling obediently by the front door every night, waiting for Jim to step through, like overeager puppies. It drove Jim crazy with feeling, to know he had such absolute power over both men, that they would do exactly as he said, because he said it. 

When Jim stepped through the door that night, he smiled, before his frown dropped. Only Dmitri was by the door. He gave the younger man a gentle pat on the head, threading through his hair, before glancing around, eyes darkening. "Where is Sebastian?" He asked, voice loud enough to carry through the house. 

A scramble came from further back, and Sebastian scurried into view, eyes wide as he sank to his knees further down the hall. Jim stalked forwards, and Sebastian dropped his gaze, trembling, to stare at Dmitri instead, who looked... smug. Something twisted in Sebastian's chest, as Jim grabbed him by his throat. "I hope you have a good reason for being such an utter failure this time, Seb," Jim snarled, face a breath away, angry.

That wasn't what Sebastian wanted. He didn't want an angry Jim, disapproving of him. He wanted Jim to be proud of him, to be happy to have him, to give him a pet on the head like Dmitri had received. He realized he'd taken too long in answering when Jim shook him hard by the neck, and he swallowed. "I-I dropped a plate, sir. Didn't want you to hurt yourself with it. I-I-I was cleaning it up."

Jim seemed to consider a moment, frown deepening. "A plate. Why did you have a plate in the first place?" His voice was cold, and Sebastian paled, realizing his mistake, stammering to try and explain. "No. Shut up. You weren't getting me food, and the dishes were clean last night. Are you telling me you were getting  _yourself_ food,  _without_ my permission? On a  _plate_?"

Sebastian floundered for words, feeling smaller and smaller as Jim berated him, "I-I was... I'm  _sorry_ , J-sir, I just. I didn't eat since lunch yesterday, and Dem thought it-"

"No, don't bring Dmitri into this," Jim snapped, releasing Sebastian finally, and stepping away to pull off his coat, irritated. "It doesn't matter what  _Demmi_ thought, it's still your fault.  _You_ decided that was alright. And you know what happens to pets that don't remember the rules, don't you?" Jim stared at him for a long moment, before turning his back on him, dismissive, and brought his attention to Dmitri, instead, who perked up a bit, rising up on his knees to circle his arms around Jim's waist and hug him, Jim's fingers in his hair again. Sebastian stared on, helpless and... and angry. He  _hated_ being ignored, and Jim knew it too.

"They have to live with the consequences, don't they, love?" He asked Dmitri, who nodded, and Jim stepped away, gesturing Dmitri to follow him into the living room. 

As they passed, Jim kept his gaze fixed on the phone he'd pulled from his pocket, and Sebastian slumped to the side, staring mournfully after Dmitri, who shot him a mildly sympathetic look as he followed Jim - and on two feet, Sebastian noticed, feeling that twist in his gut again. The only time he was allowed to stand was when he was dressing or undressing, or cooking. 

Knowing he hadn't been invited to the living room, where he could hear the telly on, and a soft giggle, Sebastian moved back to the kitchen, glancing into the hallway before standing up, stretching out his legs, and went about finishing up with cleaning the shattered porcelain. 

He'd just finished up, and was checking under the island counter to be sure he'd cleaned everything, when there was a throat clearing cough from the doorway, and Sebastian looked up from where he'd been leaning to see Jim watching, and... and why was he still disapproving? Sebastian's legs gave out under him, and he thunked to the floor immediately, shrinking down. Jim stepped up to him, standing directly in front, and waited.

Sebastian knew the game. He had to wait. He had to sit and be good and wait for Jim to tell him what to do. But... the thought of Dmitri getting a hug, uninvited and unwarranted, was enough to make him bolder than usual, and after nearly three minutes of sitting and waiting, Sebastian tentatively reached out to grip Jim's pant leg, feeling the soft fabric.

A hard cuff around the head was what he got, and Sebastian's fingers immediately pulled away, feeling tears sting at his eyes.

Jim curled two fingers under Sebastian's chin, pulling his gaze up to make eye contact, and Sebastian blinked hard, trying to keep an even gaze with his master. "Sebby," Jim said, voice soft, disapproving, and Sebastian only swallowed in response. "First, you get yourself food without my permission, and then you break one of my dishes, you weren't by the door when you were supposed to, and _now_ , you're standing when you're not supposed to be?" Jim shook his head slowly, and Sebastian finally averted his gaze, ashamed. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Sebastian stayed quiet, staring at Jim's stomach instead, unable to say anything. He just wanted Jim to stop being mad, to give him a pet, or a hug, or tell him  _hello I missed you_. Instead Jim scoffed, and stepped away, heading to the fridge for a beer, pulling out two. Sebastian stared at him as he headed for the doorway, eyes widening. "Is..." he tried to start, but fell silent, knowing it wouldn't help.

He was right. Jim turned, and laughed slightly. "What? Is this for Dem?" He proffered the second bottle. "It is. He's been a  _good_ boy tonight." He clinked the bottles thoughtfully for a moment, before sighing. "Sit here for ten minutes and don't do anything wrong. If you can manage that, you can join us."

Left alone again, Sebastian was left sitting in the middle of the kitchen, feeling horrible, and beyond jealous. Dmitri  _never_ got in trouble (that wasn't true, really), and he always got worse punishments for smaller crimes (that was true). He was desperate, though, so he sat quietly, listening to the sound of the telly and gentle mumblings that turned into what sounded more like two bodies shifting around on the couch. By the time his ten minutes were up, he didn't really want to join them after all, but the hope of praise forced him to move, making him shuffle into the living room.

Jim and Dmitri were sprawled on the couch, Jim covered by his favorite pet, and was currently trying to eat his face off. Or something. Sebastian glared at them, unnoticed, and tried to settle down at the end of the couch, by their legs. Jim noticed him then, and broke away from Dem, huffing an irritated sigh. " _Sebby_ , get down. I said you could join us, not lounge on the couch."

Sebastian's head snapped around, staring at Jim in disbelief. But...  _join us_ was usually what that meant, exactly. Joining them, not just... sitting on the floor. He was afraid to say anything though -  _unfair_  - and simply did as Jim said, scooting to sit on the floor, as far away from them as he could, getting clucked at again when he tried to snag a pillow to sit on. 

It was  _unfair_ , Sebastian thought. He'd been good all day, and all of yesterday after his little mistake, and Dem had made a few mistakes, and he was getting to lie on top of Jim and hug him and kiss him all he wanted - as he watched, he realized Dem was even being allowed to dominate it, a bit, fingers gripping the sides of Jim's face while Jim lovingly stroked down his back and sides. 

He looked away, tears stinging his eyes. He wanted attention. A hand stroking through his hair once, or a pat on the rump, even.  _Something_. Instead, he sat for an hour at the foot of the couch, listening to Jim and Dmitri get steadily more involved in each other, alone. Jealousy was thick and green, coursing through him by the time the stupid movie - he didn't even remember what it was, it was so dull - ended, and Jim finally said a few words that made Dmitri squirm harder against him and then still, going silent. 

Sebastian didn't bother looking around as he felt them shifting on the couch, obviously getting up and heading for bed, and stayed where he was, staring at the floor with tears dripping down his cheeks. He felt beyond scolded, as if he'd been shown in every way possible that he didn't deserve Jim's affections. In that moment, he almost hated Dmitri. He almost hated  _Jim_.

There was another dip on the couch though, a moment later, and finally,  _finally_ , a hand rubbing through his short hair, scratching at his scalp. "Sebby, my tiger," came the soft voice, thick and heavy from his and Dmitri's excursions, no doubt. Sebastian wiped at his face with both hands for a moment, and looked around, blinking at what he saw. 

Jim was alone now, his hair rumpled and his clothes looking like they'd been roughed over several times. But his face was still flushed, and he was holding out a bowl to Sebastian. Soup. Minestrone. Sebastian stared at it, and then Jim, before hesitantly reaching out for it. Jim pulled it away and sat back on the couch, and Sebastian swallowed, feeling tears well up again in his eyes. Now he was going to  _tease_ him?

A small laugh drifted down to him, and Jim shook his head. "Sebby, come here. Up here, right on my lap, come on."

Blinking, unsure of what would follow, Sebastian got up, wincing as his leg cramped up, but settled himself facing Jim, sitting obediently on his lap. Jim swirled his spoon in an obvious gesture of 'turn around' and Sebastian blinked, wiping at his eye before nodding, and turning around. Jim held the bowl out of the way, and with his free hand, pulled Sebastian into a position he wanted. Jim ended up sitting behind Sebastian, legs splayed on either side of him so that his pet was nestled between them, back pressed to Jim's chest. Sebastian felt Jim press his lips to his neck, and melted back.

Wiping Sebastian's tears away with a finger, Jim simply hummed, shaking his head when Sebastian sent a hand questing backwards, feeling Jim's hard on poking him in the back. He went pliant again, relaxing back in Jim's arms, as Jim brought the soup around front, watching over Sebastian's shoulder as he dolloped up a spoonful of soup for Sebastian, raising it up to his lips and feeding it to him. 

Sebastian slowly relaxed in Jim's arms, staying quiet as Jim fed him, enjoying the attention and the warm body behind him. Jim kept his eyes on his task almost the entire time, pausing only to press soft kisses to Sebastian's neck, nosing him affectionately. When the soup was finished, Jim handed the bowl to Sebastian, telling him to set it down. 

"Sweet thing," he crooned, making Sebastian shift around again in his lap, his erection having waned, "You have a choice, now. Alright?" He smiled, reaching up to trace over Sebastian's face, rubbing down his sides gently. "You can either have snuggles for the rest of the week, every evening, or," he leaned up to give Sebastian a long, gentle kiss, tongue licking at the roof of his mouth, "Or," he continued, "You can come back to my room and sleep on the bed with me, and I will do whatever you want to you, or let you do whatever you want to me."

Opening and closing his mouth for a few moments, Sebastian tipped his head, shocked by the sudden proposition. "I..."

"Look, Sebby, I know I've been paying more attention to Dmitri, and I know you're not happy about that. You're still my good boy. My first good boy." He rubbed his fingers through Sebastian's hair again, massaging his scalp, and Sebastian let his head dip forward to rest against Jim's collarbone, enjoying the touch until it stopped, and he knew he needed to decide. 

Bringing his head up, he smiled, leaning in to nose against Jim's cheek, his stomach doing a happy flip when he wasn't pushed away. "I know what my choice is."


End file.
